Dell OpenManage™ IT Assistant User's Guide
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The following list defines or identifies technical terms, abbreviations, and acronyms used in Dell user documents.
AC
Abbreviation for alternating current.
APC
Abbreviation for American Power Conversion.
backup
A copy of a program or data file. As a precaution, you should back up
your computer’s hard drive on a regular basis.
BBS
Abbreviation for bulletin board service and BIOS boot select.
BIOS
Acronym for basic input/output system. Your computer’s BIOS contains
programs stored on a ROM chip. The BIOS controls the following:
The BIOS is a layer of software that isolates the operating system and application programs from the system’s hardware. By using the BIOS, the compatibility of these programs is enhanced.
block
A typical unit of disk storage consisting of a small number of sectors. This term usually
refers to the fundamental unit of storage provided by an operating system. See also block
size and striping.
block size
The size of a block. See also block and striping.
bus
A bus forms an information pathway between the components of a computer. Your computer
contains an expansion bus that allows the microprocessor to communicate with controllers
for all the various peripheral devices connected to the computer. Your computer also
contains an address bus and a data bus for communications between the microprocessor and
RAM.
byte
Eight bits of information, the basic data unit used by your computer.
cache
To facilitate quicker data retrieval, a storage area for keeping a copy of data or
instructions. For example, your computer’s BIOS may cache ROM code in faster RAM. Or,
a disk-cache utility may reserve RAM in which to store frequently accessed information
from your computer’s disk drives; when a program makes a request to a disk drive for
data that is in the cache, the disk-cache utility can retrieve the data from RAM faster
than from the disk drive.
CBT
Abbreviation for computer-based training.
CI/O
Abbreviation for comprehensive input/output.
CIM
Abbreviation for Common Information Model. CIM, like SNMP and DMI, is a systems
management protocol used to monitor and configure system components and
attributes. CIM is based on the Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
core, a technology meant to support and optimize systems management over the Internet or company intranets.
CIM/WMI agents write, retrieve, and maintain system information in data
structures called management object format (MOF) files.
controller
A chip or expansion card that controls the transfer of data between the
microprocessor and a peripheral, such as a disk drive or the keyboard.
CPU
Abbreviation for central processing unit.
DCOM
Abbreviation for Distributed Component Object Model. DCOM is a Microsoft
extension of Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) that supports objects
distributed across a network.
Desktop Manager
Desktop Manager, a component of the Intel® LANDesk®
Configuration Manager system management software, is used to manage clients after
installing an operating system, management agents, and application programs.
device driver
A device driver allows the operating system or a program to interface
correctly with a peripheral, such as a printer or network card. Some device
drivers—such as network drivers—must be loaded from initialization files or as
memory-resident programs. Others—such as video drivers—must load when you start
the program for which they were designed.
DHCP
Abbreviation for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.
diagnostics
Test programs that you can run to evaluate the status of both integrated and
attached devices on your system. Dell OpenManage Server Administrator
offers a comprehensive set of diagnostics for Dell server systems.
See also diskette-based diagnostics.
directory
Directories help keep related files organized on a disk in a
hierarchical, "inverted tree" structure. Each disk has a "root"
directory; additional directories that branch off of the root directory are called
subdirectories. Subdirectories may contain additional directories branching off of them.
diskette-based diagnostics
A comprehensive set of diagnostic tests for your Dell system. To use
the diskette-based diagnostics, you must boot your system from the Dell Diagnostics
Diskette. Refer to your Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide, Installation and
Troubleshooting Guide, or Service Manual for a complete discussion about how to
use the diskette-based diagnostics.
discovery range
A network segment registered to IT Assistant for the purpose of
discovering systems. The IT Assistant discovery engine attempts to discover
systems on all registered discovery ranges. A discovery range can be a subnet, a
range of IP addresses on a subnet, an individual IP address, an individual IPX
address, or an individual host name.
DMI
Abbreviation for Desktop Management Interface. DMI enables the management
of your computer system’s software and hardware. DMI defines the software,
interfaces, and data files that enable your system to determine and report information
about its components. DMI agents write, retrieve, and maintain system
information in data structures called management information format (MIF) files.
DMTF
Abbreviation for Distributed Management Task Force, a consortium of
companies representing hardware and software providers, of which Dell Computer Corporation
is a steering committee member.
DNS
Abbreviation for Domain Name System.
DRAC 1.0
Acronym for Dell OpenManage Remote Assistant Card 1.0.
DRAC II
Acronym for Dell OpenManage Remote Assistant Card II.
DRAC III
Acronym for Dell Remote Access Card III.
DTMF
Abbreviation for Dual Tone Multiple Frequency.
ECC
Abbreviation for error correction code.
ECP
Abbreviation for extended capabilities port.
EPP
Abbreviation for enhanced parallel port. A parallel port that provides
improved bidirectional data transport. This standard is often used with external SCSI
devices.
ERA
Abbreviation for Embedded Remote Access.
ERA/MC
Abbreviation for Embedded Remote Access Modular Computing.
ERA/O
Abbreviation for Embedded Remote Access Option.
ESM
Abbreviation for embedded server management.
FAT
Abbreviation for file allocation table.
FTP
Abbreviation for file transport protocol.
GB
Abbreviation for gigabyte. A gigabyte equals 1024 MB or 1,073,741,824
bytes.
guarding
A type of data redundancy that uses a set of physical drives to store
data and a single, additional drive to store parity data. Using guarding, the user’s
data is protected from the loss of a single drive. Guarding is sometimes preferred over
mirroring because it is more cost effective in systems with a very high storage capacity.
However, guarded configurations are significantly slower for application programs that
frequently write to the array, because each attempt to write to the array requires
multiple read and write commands to maintain the parity information. If this is a problem,
mirroring or duplexing is a better choice. See also mirroring, RAID 4, and RAID
5.
GUI
Acronym for graphical user interface.
HIP
Acronym for the Dell OpenManage Hardware Instrumentation Package. HIP provides
seamless integration of DMI-instrumented server systems with console applications that can
browse SNMP information and receive traps, such
as IT Assistant. This is accomplished through a DMI-to-SNMP mapper in the Dell HIP.
Together, HIP and IT Assistant allow you to monitor your Dell servers and track status
information about Dell server components.
IIS
Acronym for Internet Information Service.
I/O
Abbreviation for input/output. The keyboard and a printer, for example,
are I/O devices. In general, I/O activity can be differentiated from computational
activity. For example, when a program sends a document to the printer, it is engaging in
I/O activity; when the program sorts a list of terms, it is engaging in computational
activity.
in-context launch
To launch an application program against a specific system. When the application
starts, it points to the selected system with no further user intervention.
IP
Abbreviation for Internet Protocol.
IPX
Abbreviation for Internetwork Package eXchange.
ISA
Abbreviation for Industry-Standard Architecture.
ISM
Abbreviation for Internet Service Manager.
IT Assistant services
The IT Assistant services consist of the IT Assistant
connection service, the IT Assistant network monitoring service, the IT Assistant data
repository, and command-line utilities. The IT Assistant connection service establishes
communication with the IT Assistant browser-based user interface; the IT Assistant network
monitoring service discovers systems across the corporate network; the IT Assistant data
repository stores configuration and system discovery information; the command-line
utilities enable you to set up CIM discovery and security, manage the IT Assistant data
repository, and write scripts to perform IT Assistant tasks without using the browser-based
user interface.
LAN
Acronym for local area network. A LAN system is usually confined to the
same building or a few nearby buildings, with all equipment linked by wiring dedicated
specifically to the LAN.
LDSM
Abbreviation for LANDesk Server Manager.
LED
Abbreviation for light-emitting diode. An electronic device that lights
up when a current is passed through it.
managed system
A managed system is a system that is monitored and managed by the IT Assistant management station. The management station monitors various hardware components for
information such as temperature, electrical readings, and system configuration. This
information is provided by various management agents that are installed on the managed
system.
management station
The system that runs the IT Assistant services; the system that monitors and
manages managed systems.
MB
Abbreviation for megabyte(s). A megabyte equals 1024 kilobytes or
1,048,576 bytes; however, when referring to hard drive storage, the term is
often rounded to mean 1,000,000 bytes.
MHz
Abbreviation for megahertz.
MIB
Acronym for management information base. MIB is an information
structure used with the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), one of the
original TCP/IP suite of protocols. SNMP-compliant network devices (such as
routers, hubs, bridges, and servers) package status, parameter, capability, and
control information about themselves into a MIB, which they send out to
requesting devices.
MIF
Acronym for management information format. MIF is a file that
links to system component instrumentation and which contains component
information and status. MIF files are installed into
the MIF database by the service layer. The content of a MIF is defined by a DMTF working
committee and is published in the form of a MIF definition document. This document
identifies the groups and attributes that are relevant to DMI-manageable components.
mirroring
A type of data redundancy that uses a set of physical drives to store
data and one or more sets of additional drives to store duplicate copies of the data.
Mirroring is the preferred data redundancy technique in lower-capacity systems and in
systems where performance is extremely important. See also guarding, RAID 1,
and RAID 10.
MOF
Acronym for management object format. MOF is a file that
functions similarly to a MIF for the Common Information Model (CIM) management
protocol. See MIF.
NIC
Acronym for network interface controller.
out-of-context launch
To launch an application program without specifying a system against which to
run the program. When the application starts, the application enables the user
to specify the system to which it should connect.
PAP
Acronym for Password Authentication Protocol.
parameter
A value or option that you specify to a program. A parameter is sometimes
called a switch or an argument.
PCI
Abbreviation for Peripheral Component Interconnect.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk drive, or a
keyboard—connected to a computer.
POST
Acronym for power-on self-test. Before the operating system loads when
you turn on your computer, the POST tests various system components such as RAM, the disk
drives, and the keyboard.
PPP
Abbreviation for point-to-point protocol.
PSPB
Abbreviation for power-supply paralleling board.
RAC
Abbreviation for remote access controller.
RAID
Acronym for redundant arrays of independent disks. This phrase was
introduced by David Patterson, Garth Gibson, and Randy Katz at the University of
California at Berkeley in 1987. The goal of RAID is to use multiple small, inexpensive
disk drives to provide high storage capacity and performance while maintaining or
improving the reliability of the disk subsystem.
Patterson, Gibson, and Katz described five different methods, which are known as RAID levels 1 through 5. Each level uses one or more extra drives to provide a means of recovering data lost when a disk fails, so that the effective failure rate of the whole disk subsystem becomes very low.
Recently, Katz has defined a sixth method, RAID 6, which improves reliability even further, and a configuration that provides no data recovery has popularly become known as RAID 0.
RAID 0
RAID 0 is commonly called striping. This was not originally
defined as a RAID level but has since come into popular use. In this array configuration,
data is written sequentially across the available disks and no redundancy is provided.
RAID 0 configurations provide very high performance but relatively low reliability. RAID 0
is the best choice when DSA controller cards are duplexed. See also striping.
RAID 1
RAID 1 is commonly called mirroring. RAID 1 also uses striping, so
RAID 1 may be regarded as the mirroring of RAID 0 configurations. RAID 1 is the best
choice in high-availability application programs that require high performance or
relatively low data capacity. See also mirroring, RAID 10, striping.
RAID 4
RAID 4 is commonly called guarding. It uses data striping, like
RAID 0, but adds a single, dedicated parity drive. The parity data stored on this drive
can be used to recover data lost from a single failed drive. RAID 4 configurations write
data slowly because parity data has to be generated and written to the parity drive, and
the generation of the parity data frequently requires reading data from multiple physical
drives. See also guarding and striping.
RAID 5
RAID 5, like RAID 4, is commonly called guarding. RAID 5 is
identical to RAID 4, except that the parity data is distributed evenly across all physical
drives instead of a parity drive. In configurations using a large number of physical
drives in which a large number of simultaneous small write operations are being performed,
RAID 5 offers potentially higher performance than RAID 4. RAID 4 and RAID 5 configurations
are appropriate in high-availability application programs where performance is less
critical or where high data capacity is required. See also guarding.
RAID 10
RAID 10 is a mirroring technique in which data is duplicated
across two identical RAID 0 arrays or hard-disk drives. All data on a physical drive in
one array is duplicated, or mirrored, on a drive in the second array. Mirroring
offers complete redundancy of data for greater data security. See also mirroring, RAID
1, and striping.
RAM
Acronym for random-access memory.
RAS
Acronym for Remote Access Service, a Microsoft operating system service that enables dial-up connectivity.
Remote Assistant Server Service
A Microsoft Windows® operating system service running on the IT Assistant management station, which provides for connectivity to DRAC-equipped Dell™ PowerEdge™ systems.
ROM
Acronym for read-only memory.
rpm
Abbreviation for revolutions per minute.
SCSI
Acronym for small computer system interface. An I/O bus interface with
faster data transmission rates than standard ports. You can connect up to seven devices
(15 for some newer SCSI types) to one SCSI interface.
SDS
Abbreviation for Scalable Disk System.
sector
The fundamental unit of data access for a hard-disk drive. For
PC-compatible systems, a sector is usually 512 bytes. See also block and block
size.
SMART
Acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. A technology that allows hard-disk drives to report errors and failures to the system BIOS, which then displays an error message on the screen. To take advantage of this technology, the computer must have a SMART-compliant hard-disk drive and the proper support in the system BIOS.
SMB
Abbreviation for system management bus.
SMM
Abbreviation for server monitor module. An ISA expansion card that
provides a modem interface for remote monitoring and control of a server.
SMP
Abbreviation for Symmetric Multiprocessing.
SMS
Abbreviation for Systems Management Server.
SNMP
Abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol. SNMP, part
of the original TCP/IP suite of protocols, provides the method by which
information about different network devices, such as network servers or routers,
is sent to a management application or other requestor. SNMP agents write,
retrieve, and maintain system information in data structures called management information
base (MIB) files.
SQL
Abbreviation for Structured Query Language.
striping
In composite drivers with two or more physical drives, the drive
array subsystem uses a method of data storage called striping. With this method,
data is divided into a series of pieces called blocks and each data block is stored
on a different physical drive. When each drive contains a block of data, the process
starts over with the first physical drive. By carefully selecting the size of the data
block, the chance that the information needed can be read from or written to multiple
physical drives at once is increased, greatly increasing the performance of the composite
drive. See also block, block size, and RAID.
SVGA
Abbreviation for super video graphics array.
syntax
The rules that dictate how you must type a command or instruction so that
the computer will understand it.
system
In IT Assistant, a computer system (notebook,
desktop, or server), network switch, remote access controller (RAC), or
server module (server in a modular system) that is attached to
a network.
system memory
System memory is a synonym for RAM.
system.ini file
When you start Windows, it consults the system.ini file to determine a
variety of options for the Windows operating system. Among other things, the system.ini
file records which video, mouse, and keyboard drivers are installed for Windows.
Running the Control Panel or Windows Setup program may change options in the system.ini file. On other occasions, you may need to change or add options to the system.ini file manually with a text editor, such as Notepad.
TAPI
Acronym for Telephony Application Program Interface.
TCP/IP
Abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.
TIRCP
Abbreviation for Transport Independent Remote Procedure Call.
trap
An alert, error, or system message from a server reporting an exception
(for example, a device failure or a threshold violation) in a server.
UDA
Acronym for user-defined attribute.
UDP
Abbreviation for User Datagram Protocol.
UPS
Abbreviation for uninterruptible power supply. A battery-powered unit
that automatically supplies power to your computer in the event of an electrical failure.
utility
A program used to manage system resources—memory, disk drives, or
printers, for example.
viewer
A system running the Remote Control Viewer window, usually the
console.
WBEM
Acronym for Web Based Enterprise Management.
WINS
Acronym for Windows Internet Name Service.
WMI
Abbreviation for Windows Management Instrumentation, which is Microsoft's
enabling technology for the CIM management protocol.
WWW
Abbreviation for World Wide Web.